Weekend in Kennebunkport

So my husband and I decided to take a totally last minute vacation to Maine and if you know this area you know that everything is booked well in advance and you are pretty much left with Motel 6 if you book late. For about 12 years we came every summer to Ocean Park, Maine for a week and we rented the same house over and over. It was so lovely to spend lazy days at the beach watching our kids (we were always 3 couples) make wonderful childhood memories. My daughter is now 19 and this is the first time we have come to Maine on our own. So two weeks ago I scoured the internet and found a lovely new place. The Lodge on the Cove is owned by a hotel group that has bought up older properties around the Kennebunkport area and completely refurbished them. Our motel just re-opened a month ago and is still unknown so that is why there was still a couple of spots left. Bright white with splashes of bright colours everywhere it is hip and fun and very comfortable. There is a pool (the ocean is about 1 mile from here) a lovely little lodge with a restaurant and free bikes to ride. Some of these are my photos (a couple of them I took late in the day so they are a bit grainy) and some are from the website. 

 

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

East Hampton Home

This gorgeous home in East Hampton, New York is for sale if you are interested for a cool 2.8 million but then it does have 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and a lovely view.....All dressed in white with touches of blue and natural wood throughout. I love the Hamptons and have visited several times in the past, but this weekend I am in Kennebunkport! Tomorrow I am going to post about some of the homes in this area and the cute little hotel I am staying at this weekend....But for more Hamptons homes check HERE and HERE...

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Sothebys

Rustic Charm in the French Countryside

This is the country home of a couple with two children about an hour away from Nice in the South of France. I have been to Nice a few times and I love the area. The home was basically a barn when they bought it and began renovating it. They turned it into a cozy family home filled with wonderful Ikea pieces while keeping all the rustic charm of some of the original features of the barn. I love the fact they have kept solid doors in the house to a minimum and put curtains instead to keep the flow very open. The glossy white kitchen is a great contrast to the stone shown throughout the house and the kitchen table fits perfectly with the indoor/outdoor vibe of the home...but my favourite part is the pale green of the shutters on the exterior...so perfect against the stone don't you think? Check out other homes that I have posted about from Ikea Family Live HERE and HERE..

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

Inspiration in White: ABC Carpet and Home

I have been lucky enough to visit New York for work at least twice a year for the past 25 years. Part of my job during these visits was to go to stores and see what was new and exciting in the world of retail and to get inspired. Well there has never been a store that inspired me more than ABC Carpet and Home.

The history of this store is this...in 1897 Sam Weinrib starting selling carpets on the streets of Manhattan. His son Max then took the business and opened a permanent location as a discount carpet store. Keeping it in the family, Max's son then took over and moved it to its current location on Broadway and 19th in 1961. It grew over the years and a home store was opened up across the street. 

Paulette Cole, a fourth generation family member, is the current CEO and Creative Director and she has really taken the store to a whole other level. She says the store is not about home furnishings but about loving... and with her creative team they travel the world to bring an incredible mix of furnishings (shabby chic to modern), carpets and home wares to this meca of home shopping. Many of the pieces are antiques or handcrafted by artisans around the world. Their saying is "Collect, don't decorate". I love that!

When I go in this store it's really an experience, not just in shopping, but for all of the senses. You can feel they have a passion, not only for beautiful pieces, but for the environment, health and wellbeing. Deepak Chopra host talks in the store, the restaurant ABC Kitchen has all organic ingredients and the store is committed to carrying eco products. But really at the end of the day they just have the most beautiful products that are incredibly well presented that make you dream....and really isn't that what you hope a store will make you do?

I love to see the kind of commitment they have to their customers, to their suppliers and to the environment. Well done ABC!!

(My daughter was in the store this past weekend and took these photos..)

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Photos: Chloe Crane-Leroux photography

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

In the Details..

Such a pretty apartment with gorgeous fir floors and incredible moldings....this century old apartment has all the details to make it special. I especially like the kitchen which has a great modern light fixture ( I had never seen these fixtures with a bit of color) and love, love the map on the wall. They always looks so good used in home decor (see more examples of it HERE)! I also like the black and white striped carpet on the floor. I added a stripe carpet to my living room and it adds wonderful texture to the space. Nice neutrals with a pop of colour here and there make this a fun little apartment.

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Alveham

Swedish Home and Garden

This house in Sweden has such a great interior but the exterior is really a special. The house is over a hundred years old and nicely renovated but it is clear the owner has a really green thumb because the grounds and gardens are just lovely! I am loving the greenhouse with the table set for company and the gazebo near the pool area is so great...not sure about having a duck in my pool but it makes for wonderful styling of the photo!! Swedish style through and through this home with pretty pale white washed floors and white couches...Have a great weekend!

PhOTO KLAS SJÖBERG

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Lantliv

Beauty in Madrid

This family in Madrid has incorporated their work life into their home space in such a beautiful way. Antiques are their business (Antiq-BR) and you can tell by the incredible furnishings throughout the home (yes most of these pieces are for sale by the looks of the website)! They also have a textile business that I have long admired called Ana and Cuca. Take a look at the incredible rough wood floors contrasting the wood of the antiques that almost looks as gold as the chandelier..so perfect. This is one of those homes that gives me a chill when I look at it..so many special details.The bedrooms are also so great, one dorm style, and the other looks like a fabulous master with one spot of greeen in the bedside lamp.

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

 

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

Via:Nuevo Estilo

Open Spaces and Neutrals Tones

A gorgeous new issue from Est Magazine. If you are not following this Australian on-line magazine you should pop over to take a look. Really so great and this is my favourite issue to date. This house that has been featured is the home of Liz Leuchers and she is the owner of a shop, on-line and brick and morter, called Pond. With these great home interiors you can see the result of her work and her great taste throughout the space. Full of wonderful neutrals it feels super calm and easy with little in the way of colour but full of wonderful textures. Love the look of the succulents around the house...they really seem to fit in perfectly with the house...in this incredible open space to the outdoors off of the living room. Really lovely...

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Est Magazine

Vintage Summer Cottage

Pretty details in this summer cottage that I find really warm and inviting. Take this cottage and put it near any beach and it would fit right in. It reminds me of one of the cottages we stayed in during our summers in Ocean Park, Maine. Fresh with white paint and floors, lots of great vintage details like the lamps in the kitchen and easy rag rugs on the floor complete the relaxed summer feeling. I could see myself leaving sand from the beach trailing through this home! Lavender surrounding the porch and a wonderful outdoor shower just give this home the added touch!

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

 

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Skonahem

California Star

This home is owned by Ellen DeGeneres and it is really a place fit for a star. First the location is nothing short of spectacular! Look at those views! Ellen is known for buying homes redecorating and then selling them and I have seen many of her homes in decor magazines so she and her talented decorators obviously make a great team. (I think that is what it takes for a fantastic outcome in a home, you and your client working at it together!). So many things to love about this California home...for one the clear ping pong table that looks out onto a wonderful interior courtyard with a pool. I also like the room below with the wooden table and the wicker chairs..a lovely romantic space..

Enjoy!

Trudy

xx

Linking with: Savvy Southern Style, No Minimalist Here, Timewashed, The 36th Avenue, A Delightsome Life, From My Front Porch to Yours, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Rooted in Thyme, Common Ground-Do, My Romantic Home, The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, The Charm of Home, Redoux   

via: Architectural Digest